Let Anthony Hopkins Be Your Fragrance Guru
If you follow Sir Anthony Hopkins on Instagram—and if you don’t, you really should—you will have enjoyed TikTok dances, piano serenades for the pleasure of his pet cat Niblo, and a seemingly endless collection of colorful Hawaiian shirts. You may also have been among the first to know about the revered Welshman's newest project: a fragrance and candle collection, which dropped last week. Created in partnership with No Kid Hungry, the line includes gender-neutral fragrance AH Eau de Parfum, a delightfully fruity-floral profusion of bergamot and orange blossom grounded in musk, plus a suite of home-upgrading candles and diffusers in Sandalwood, Tuberose Gardenia, and Amber Noir. Here, the 82-year old actor, artist, philanthropist, composer, and now, fragrance entrepreneur shares his inspirations, and reveals why he's fallen in love with social media. "In this period of shutdown," he says, "I've upped my game."
Sunday’s scent is Amber Noir 😎
A post shared by Anthony Hopkins (@anthonyhopkins) on Oct 11, 2020 at 10:17am PDT
An Anthony Hopkins fragrance is such a surprise! What sparked the idea?
It came to me during quarantine, but I have no idea where it came from. I thought… fragrance? Why not! I’m reaching a certain age where I can look back and be very grateful, but I wanted to give back to the young kids who have been impacted by this unprecedented world crisis we’re living through. So, the purpose of the brand is really rooted in my commitment to No Kid Hungry. Each purchase will buy 50 meals.
What inspired your choice of scents?
A lot of things. Influences I remember from when I was a kid. My memory goes way back to the age of 3. One of the most potent fragrances from that time was tuberose in my grandfather’s garden. My father was a very keen gardener, and he kept a gardenia, very rare in Wales, that had a very powerful effect on me. These scent memories stayed with me all of my life. Fragrance is a kind of holistic thing in my life. I’ve been an actor, much to my surprise, for more than 60 years now. And my life–especially in the last 15 or 20 years–has evolved with acting, and music, and painting, and it’s all become an expression of myself. I just wanted to bring a sense of color to the world, some kind of sense of encouragement and humor. A sense of fun. Because we are living in a dark time.
I admit I’m bonkers. You’re right, Spot. I better talk to Niblo. 🙀
A post shared by Anthony Hopkins (@anthonyhopkins) on Sep 3, 2020 at 10:32am PDT
Your Instagram feed is a source of joy for many.
Yes, and being on Instagram, I get such nice feedback. I mean, my Instagram is a little off the wall, it’s a little crazy sometimes. My cat Niblo, he’s become very temperamental, he wants a big fee. But what I gather from the feedback is that people are cheered and get peace from my craziness. Life is crazy anyway, so you might as well go along with it and be free. That’s how I do everything. Even acting. I work very hard and I’m assiduous and methodical about the work I do, but I always surround myself with something that is genial and cheerful.
Like fragrance?
Exactly. If I smell a garden, or a flower, or a scent from the past like gardenia, it does something to my brain. It switches off anxiety or something. I wanted to do and share this for a practical purpose. We are in a crisis we must all get through, and this is something I could do to help. There’s so much depression and despair and fear, it’s a part of human existence, but we can make an effort. I try to make an effort in my own life to overcome and to rise up and encourage people. I don’t think of myself as a guru. I’m not a promotional speaker, I’m not good at that. But I do have enthusiasm.
You have become a very prolific painter. What's the story behind the artwork you created for the fragrances?
One is the elephant. When I was a kid, my grandfather used to take me to the circus and I loved the elephants. My art is very free flowing. I don’t have any plans when I come into the studio. I don’t map out paintings and I have no training. I don’t analyze, I just paint. That seems to be the energy in my life. Just do it without questioning. That’s what I say about the acting business too, don’t overthink it, just do it. We always overthink things in every way. That’s why the world is in a terrible mess. I say let’s get on with this and live!
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